Electric switches



Aug. 29, 1967 J. ROGERO ELECTRIC SWITCHES Filed June 25, 1966 United States Patent 2 1 Claim. (a. 200-47 The present invention relates to electric switches manually controlled through a pivoting lever. It is more especially, but not exclusively, concerned with single pole or multiple pole reversing switches of small size.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice and in particular which can be manufactured at low price and in great amounts from a reduced number of simple parts, the final dimensions of the apparatus being small and the breaking of current during the operation being particularly sharp.

Switches of this kind include at least one rocking member supported by a middle contact and capable, under the action of a control lever pivoting about its axis between two positions determined by two abutments, respectively, of coming into contact with at least one end contact.

The invention consists chiefly in connecting the inner end of the control lever with the rocking member through a telescopic element provided with resilient return means which are compressed when the control lever pivots between these two abutments.

Another feature of my invention consists in constituting said rocking member by a crossashaped metallic piece two opposed branches of which are adapted to cooperate with the end contact and the two other opposed branches of which constitute, one, a projection through which the rocking member is actuated and the other, the edge element of the pivot insuring swinging movement about a line of pivoting and permanent electric connection between the rocking member and a middle contact.

Preferred embodiments of my invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the appended drawings, given merely byway of example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a two-pole reversing switch made according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the same switch in section on line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are respective perspective views on an enlarged scale of elements of said switch;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a two-pole reversing switch made according to a modification of the invention.

The reversing switch comprises, as illustrated by FIGS. 1, 2 and 5,.at least one rocking member 14 housed in a casing 4 and supported by a middle contact 17 and capable, under the action of a control lever 1 pivoting about an axis 2 between two positions determined by abutments 20 and 21, respectively, of coming intocontact either with an end contact or with end contact 16.

According to the invention, the inner end 9 of control lever 1 is connected to rocking member 14 through a telescopic structure 22 provided with resilient return means which are in compression when control lever 1 pivots between abutments and 21.

It will be understood that it is possible to give control lever 1 a very small diameter and thus to be able to house said control lever 1 in a threaded tubular part 30 of reduced diameter.

For this purpose, telescopic structure 22 consists of two elements 5 and 6 slidable in each other, a spring 7 being interposed between them.

Since control lever 1 is generally metallic, telescopic structure 22 must be capable of insuring electrical insula- 3,339,041 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 tion between rocking member 14 and control lever 1.

For instance, sliding element 5 may, as shown by FIGS. 1 and 2, be made of an insulating material whereas sliding element 6 is made of a metallic material.

Sliding element 5 is provided with a recess 11 of rounded shape cooperating with a projection 10 provided on rocking member 14, sliding element 6 being also provided with a recess 12 of rounded shape cooperating with the inner end 9' of control lever 1 through rounded lugs 8.

In the modification of FIG. 5, sliding element 5 is made of a metallic material and sliding element 6 of an insulating material.

Sliding element 5 is provided with a rounded recess 23 cooperating with the projection 10 of rocking member 14 and sliding element 6 comprises a pin 24 cooperating with the inner end 9 of control lever 1 which is in the form of a fork 25.

It should be noted that, in the case of a multiple pole reversing switch, for instance of a double pole switch, as illustrated by FIG. 2, the same control lever 1 may serve to operate both of the rocking members 14 through the intermediate of two telescopic elements 22.

For this purpose, the end 9 of control lever 1 carries a transverse rod 13 provided at its ends with rounded lugs 8 cooperating each with the sliding element 6 of the telescopic structure 22 that is considered.

Concerning now more particularly rocking member 14, it may be made as follows:

Rocking member 14 consists of a cross shaped metallic piece, two opposed branches 14a and 14b of which are adapted to cooperate with end contacts 15 and 16 respectively, the two other opposed branches 14c and 14d tween two wings forming branches 14a and 14b, two

cuts being provided in this intermediate portion to separate a middle band forming branch from two marginal bands forming branches 14d. The middle band is then deformed upwardly with respect to the initial plane of the plate, whereas the two margin bands are deformed in the downward direction. The middle band and the two marginal bands are then folded.

Preferably the ends of the wings forming branches 14a and 14b are bent toward branch 14c, such a shape improving the contact between these two wings and the two end contacts 15 and 16.

Concerning contact 17, which supports swinging member 14 it may advantageously be made of a single piece and obtained by cutting and stamping of a metal plate.

For this purpose, as shown by FIG. 4, the metal plate is first given the general shape of an H (when this metal plate is seen from the top) the central bar 18 of which carries metal contact 17, which is then bent at right angles to the initial plane of the plate in the downward direction. Both of the side portions of the H are then folded on either side of central bar 18 in the direction opposed to that of middle contact 17 (ie upwardly in the case of FIG. 4). I thus obtain on either side of middle contact 17, two forks 19 and 19a adapted to support rocking member 14 and to define its pivot line 3.

In a general manner, while I have in the above description. disclosed what I deem to be practical and efiicient embodiments of the present invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes fnade in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the 3 principleof the invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

An improved electric switch which comprises, in cornbination, a casing of an insulating material, two spaced end contacts mounted on said casing, at least one middle.

contact-mounted on said casing, a rocking member of a conducting material rockably supported by said middle contact and adapted to cooperate with said end contacts, a control lever pivotally mounted in said casing, said control lever including a first portion outside of said casing and a second portion inside of said casing, two

abutments on said casing and arranged to cooperate with said c'ontrol'lever to limit the pivoting displacements thereof, a telescopic structure between said second portion of said lever and said rocking member, said telescopic structure comprising two elements slidable in each other, one of said elements being pivotally connected with member consisting of a cross-shaped metal piece including two opposed branches adapted to cooperate with said end contacts respectively, and two other branches of said cross-shaped rocking member one of which forms a projection adapted to cooperate with said telescopic structure and the other of which forms a ridge adapted to rock in said middle contact and to provide an electrical conection between said rocking member and said middle contact, said rocking member being of a single metal piece including a doubled central portion forming said projection which is adapted to cooperate with said telescopic structure and doubled portions bracketing the first said doubled portion to form said ridge adaptedto swing in said middle contact, and side portions forming said two first mentioned branches adapted to cooperate with said end contacts, said two first mentioned branches extending transversely to said doubled central portion.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 1,301,427 7/ 1962 France.

827,168 2/ 1960 Great Britain. 613,383 12/1960 Italy.

361,318 4/ 1962 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES Jung, German appl. No. 1,081,102, pub. May 1960. ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner. D. SMITH, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

